Great topic by the way, I think hitting is 2 fold. You have to have discipline at the plate. Not just for strikes, but for your pitch. If you are a high ball hitter then you need to be standing in the front of the batters box. If your a low ball hitter then stand in the back of the box. This way you will get your pitch more often. Then you have to swing only at your pitch. On the BP topic, when I was younger I took 100 swings a day after my lifting session. Now that I'm getting older I do that twice a week and we switch every 10 swings. We are fortunate to have 220 balls between myself and my hitting partner. Takes us about 1:15 minutes to hit all our balls.

rightrj1 we agree to disagree. Being a coach and trainer over years I have helped men and women add up to 10 mph on there throws using this program. I would say that the average increase was in th 7-8 mph. Still better than when they started. All these speeds were from the shortstop hole on a baseball field to first base. So it does work. If anyone does this even at our age you will gain velocity.

Arm strength can be improved, just like hitting can be improved. All one has to do is a training regimine for throwing strength. Long toss, or burn out at long distances will do it. If you do this at 200' for 15-20 mins a day 3 times a week you will get a stronger arm. I agree that some are blessed with a natural strong arm, but its just like hitting if you work at it you will get better at it. At our age most guys don't want to do the work, but believe me if you play burn out at 200' every other day for about 6 weeks your arm strength will be better!!

Hammer22 I'm sorry you said "If you play at the plus level you should be able to get base hits anywhere on the field not just the middle and play defense." I agree with you that the top level in USSSA has DBO's. There's is 12 when they play another Major team. I believe it would be better if we had 12 as well. But hey, thats just my opionion!!!! Just curious Hammer22 who are you and what team you play on? My name is Dale Mayo and I #10 on OKI 50 Major Plus.

Just to clarify my point, in 5 years I have been playing senior ball I have hit 1 ball that the pitcher got a glove on. I consider myself to have as good as bat control as anyone, but that being said we are all getting older and slower so why make the rules that could jeopardize anyone's safety. Make it a walk or a single at the Plus level and an out everywhere else. Alan was right in that analogy. My personal opion is that the gap between Major and Major plus should be at least 4 HR's. I don't know of one Plus player who is there by choice, not someone who was forced up, that wants the rules the way they are now. But as it was said already I believe this was an economic decision. Nothing more, nothing less!! I wish they would go back to aluminum bats and blue dot balls. But there again money is made on these hot sticks we get to swing. I just hope that everyone can continue to play this game we all love to play and are blessed to be able to still play at a high level. I was told that if enough guys went to the winter meeting that you could get the rules changed the way you want them. I'm starting a campaign to get as many plus players to go as possible so that we have a true representation of the Major Plus division.

mad dog i'm just stating what I have personally seen. I don't hit at the pitcher, there are times i'll hit middle but almost always don't hit him. I'm just telling what I have expeienced sine the home run rule change. The reason that SPA did not make it a mandatory rule for pitchers to wear face mask is they know the big hitters can still swing away when HR's are gone. SSUSA knew that the pitcher would be at risk with the new HR rule thus the mask rule. I agree that it should not be a factor, but I'm also a realist and have to tell what I have experienced. As a Major Plus player I don't want anyone to get hurt because we are out of HR's and an infielder gets hurt because someone was trying to keep it in the park. It just makes no sense to me that we get to use the best bats in the universe and they make changes that could get someone hurt. Thats all I'm saying!!!!

Robo2 hit the nail right on the head!!!! The biggest thing for me at our age is safety. It makes no sense at all to me to want people to hit the ball at someone with these bats we use. If not unlimited then make it a walk or a single. I know I would not want someone to hit the ball up the middle if I was pitching. In the lower divisions maybe, but not in the Major or Major plus division.

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